Method and apparatus for releasably securing clothing and accessories to children

ABSTRACT

Products and methods are provided for releasably securing infant and toddler clothing accessories, such as shoes, socks and hair accessories, to a child. The products include novelty articles decorated with whimsical graphics and/or cut into whimsical shapes having adhesive properties designed to provide a temporary bond between the accessory and the child. The methods include adhering a footwear or hair accessory, directly or indirectly, to a child using the novelty adhesive articles.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

Under 35 U.S.C. §119(e)(1), this application claims the benefit of prior U.S. provisional application 60/895,843, filed Mar. 20, 2007.

BACKGROUND

Infant footwear, including socks, shoes, slippers, sandals and moccasins, often fall off and become lost. This is thought to be due to the shape of infants' feet and ankles along with the fact that infants do not stand on their feet, creating an angle and pressure necessary to prevent loss of footwear.

Infant and toddlers typically have very thin and fine hair. Hair accessories, such as barrettes, clips, bows and headbands, often slide out of or fall out completely and become lost.

Parents typically enjoy dressing their children with such foot and hair accessories, but often become frustrated when these articles slip, fall off, or become lost.

SUMMARY

The disclosure provides products and methods for releasably securing infant and toddler clothing accessories, particularly footwear and hair accessories, to a child.

“Releasably securing” refers to a nonpermanent connection. More specifically, the accessory can be fastened to the child using the products and methods disclosed herein, but can also be separated from the child manually when desired and/or automatically after a desired time period (that is, the adhesive device may be designed to provide a temporary bond between the accessory and child—e.g., a child's skin—for a desired time period).

“Securing . . . to a child” or the like (for example, “attaching to a child”) means directly or indirectly securing to a child. “Directly” means that the footwear or hair accessory is secured to the child's skin. “Indirectly” means that the footwear or hair accessory is secured to an article that is itself in contact with the child. For example a slipper that is secured using a product of the invention to a sock, which sock is place on a child's foot, is indirectly secured to the child.

An embodiment according to the invention is a novelty article permitting a separable connection between a child, particularly an infant or a toddler, and his or her clothing accessories, particularly footwear or hair accessories. The novelty article has adhesive properties such that it can attach both to the footwear article or hair accessory and child. In some embodiments the novelty article comprises a substrate having a first adhesive surface and a second adhesive surface, and can, for example, be in the form of double-sided tape or double-sided stickers. “Double-sided” means that the tape or sticker has two opposing (e.g. upper and lower) adhesive surfaces. In some embodiments, the novelty article has only a single adhesive surface, and may optionally be scored to create a fold or enable creation of a fold in the novelty article. In some embodiments, the novelty article can be removed from the accessory and child with little or no adhesive residue remaining on the accessory or child. In some embodiments, the novelty article is provided in whimsical shapes, decorated with whimsical graphics, or both. In some embodiments, the shapes and/or graphics are chosen to appeal to consumers who purchase children's goods such as toys, clothing and furniture. For example, the novelty article may be dye-cut into stickers shaped like a cat's paw and decorated with a leopard skin pattern. As another example, the novelty article may be in the form of a continuous roll of double-sided tape decorated with colorful pictures of trucks, airplanes, boats, and cars or combinations thereof. The decorative graphics may be on one or all sides of the novelty article.

A method according to the invention comprises using a novelty article having adhesive properties to releasably adhere footwear or hair accessories to a child. In some embodiments the novelty adhesive article is a double-sided tape or double-sided stickers decorated with whimsical graphics or cut into whimsical shapes, or both and the method comprises attaching one side of the tape or sticker to the child and the other side of the tape or sticker to the footwear or hair accessory. In some embodiments, the novelty article has only a single adhesive surface, and the method comprises attaching a portion of the adhesive surface to the accessory and a portion of the adhesive surface to the child. In some embodiments wherein the novelty article has only a single adhesive surface, the novelty adhesive article may be scored and the method comprises attaching the footwear or hair accessory to the novelty adhesive article on one side of the score, folding the novelty article along the score, and attaching the child (e.g., the child's skin) to the novelty article on the other side of the score.

DESCRIPTION OF CERTAIN EMBODIMENTS

The present invention relates to products and methods for, directly or indirectly, releasably securing clothing accessories, particularly footwear and hair accessories, to an infant or toddler. The products are in the form of an adhesive device suitable for use in releasably attaching infant and toddler footwear and hair accessories directly or indirectly to an infant or toddler. In certain embodiments, the products are in the form of an adhesive device suitable for use in releasably attaching infant or toddler footwear directly to an infant's or toddler's skin, or for use in releasably attaching infant or toddler hair accessories directly to an infant's or toddler's hair or scalp. The methods include attaching the product to an infant's or toddler's foot or hair or scalp and also to the infant's or toddler's footwear or hair accessory.

More specifically, the adhesive device comprises a substrate or carrier (which terms are used interchangeably) and an adhesive. The adhesive may be formed as one or more layers on the substrate or carrier. In some embodiments, the adhesive device further comprises a release liner, such as for example a removable backing paper protecting the adhesive layer until the adhesive device is ready to be used in securing a child's footwear or hair accessory. The carrier or substrate typically has two opposing surfaces, a top surface and a bottom surface, and the adhesive is preferably provided on both the top surface and the bottom surface of the substrate. Thus, in some embodiments, the product comprises a substrate, a first adhesive layer on a first surface of the substrate, and a second adhesive surface on a second surface of the substrate. However, in some embodiments, the adhesive may be provided only on a single surface of the carrier. In the case where the adhesive device includes only a single adhesive surface or layer, the substrate may optionally be scored to create a fold or to enable the creation of a fold in the substrate. In this way, that is by folding the adhesive device, a portion of the adhesive device can be made to face and therefore attach to the child, and a portion of the adhesive device can be made to face and therefore attach to the footwear or hair accessory.

The substrate or carrier may be in any form suitable for use in the desired application. Non-limiting examples of carrier materials include a film, paper, foam or spongy material, which may be thick or thin. In some embodiments, the device is in the form of a small, disposable patch, or sticker, with adhesive on each side of the sticker suitable for securing the accessories to the infant or toddler, particularly the infant's or toddler's skin. The sticker may be dispensed as a continuous roll of stickers, cards or sheets containing multiple stickers, or as individual sticker units. Alternately, the adhesive device may also be dispensed from a continuous roll that is rolled onto itself without backing paper (like tape) and cut to any length desired by the consumer. The exposed surface of the stickers, for example, the adhesive layer which is not attached to the card or sheet, may itself be protected by a releasable liner.

The adhesive can be chosen from known adhesives suitable for providing a non-permanent connection to the child and between the child and the clothing accessory. Preferably, the adhesive also provides a non-permanent connection to the clothing accessory. Preferably, an adhesive is chosen that leaves little or no adhesive residue on the child's skin. In some embodiments, it is desirable to choose an adhesive that will leave little to no residue on the footwear or hair accessory. The adhesive used with the carrier or substrate may be clear or color tinted. In certain preferred embodiments, the adhesive is a hypoallergenic, latex-free, medical grade adhesive that is non-irritating to a typical infant's skin. Examples of adhesive films that are gentle to the skin, yet deliver suitable performance, are acrylates such as 3M™ Product Number 1522 Double Coated Medical Tape and 3M™ Product Number 9874 Double Coated Medical Tape.

In general, the particular adhesive can be chosen so that its properties best match the application. For example, The adhesive may have relatively light to strong tackiness, (also known as peel adhesion) depending on the application. The relative amount of tackiness may be chosen for its adherence to the particular footwear or hair accessory and for its adherence to an infant's or toddler's skin. The adhesive may also be chosen based on the duration of tackiness (stated otherwise, the adhesive may be chosen according to its ability to remain adhered to the desired surface for a desired period of time). More specifically, the adhesive may be chosen so that sufficient tackiness for securing the clothing accessory to the child remains only for so long as a typical use of the product is needed, such as including but not limited to 4 hours or 8 hours, which is a typical amount of time a parent may desire his or her infant to wear a sock. In some embodiments, the adhesive is chosen such that it will remain adhered to a child's skin for no more than about 24 hours, or for no more than about 12 hours, or for no more than about 8 hours, or for no more than about 6 hours, for nor more than about 4 hours, or for no more than about 2 hours. The adhesive may also be chosen such that it will remain adhered to a child's skin for from about one hour to about 12 hours, or from about 2 hours to about 8 hours, or from about 4 hours to about 8 hours.

The adhesive device may include more than one type of adhesive. For example, in embodiments having two opposing adhesive layers, the upper adhesive layer may be chosen for its adherence to skin, whereas the lower adhesive layer may be chosen for its adhesion to socks. Or a first portion of the adhesive device may be coated with a first adhesive, and a second portion of the adhesive device may be coated with a second adhesive. For example where an adhesive device is scored to create a fold and has a single adhesive layer, the first adhesive may be coated onto the carrier to one side of the score and the second adhesive may be coated onto the carrier to the other side of the score. In some embodiments, the adhesive may be chosen such that, while it adheres to both footwear or hair accessories and skin, it preferentially adheres to the footwear or hair accessories versus the skin or vice versa.

The adhesive device may be provided in a variety of shapes, and may be decorated with graphics. For example (non-limiting examples), stickers may be dye-cut into animal shapes, such as including domesticated or wild animals (or parts thereof such as paw prints), cars, trucks, airplanes, jewelry, cartoon, movie, comic and book characters, sports games and players, rainbows, toys or any shape that may increase consumer appeal. The adhesive device, and particularly the removable backing paper, may be additionally cut to include a tab for easy peeling. The adhesive device may also be decorated with graphics, including drawings of domesticated or wild animals (or parts thereof such as paw prints), cars, trucks, airplanes, jewelry, cartoon, movie, comic and book characters, sports games and players, rainbows, toys or any image that may increase consumer appeal.

The adhesive device may also be decorated with graphic patterns, including but not limited to, tiger stripes, leopard skin patterns, rainbow patterns or again, any pattern that may increase consumer appeal. In some embodiments, the adhesive device is both provided in a desired shape with graphic decorations, including but not limited to a cat paw shape colored to look like a cat paw, or a cat paw shape with leopard skin graphics.

Examples

In one example, the invention was used to secure socks on a small infant. An adult peeled the backing paper off one side of a round, decorative sticker of moderate tackiness (3M™ Product Number 1522) measuring about 0.5 inch in diameter and applied the sticker directly to the heel of the child's foot. The other backing paper was then removed and disposed of. The sock was placed on the foot and secured to the adhesive film with finger pressure. The sock remained secure on the infant's foot, without skin irritation, for nine hours. The sock was then removed and the adhesive film peeled off the child's foot and disposed of.

In another example, the invention was used to secure shoes over socks on an infant's feet. In this example, the adhesive film was dispensed from a tape-like roll and cut to approximately 2-inch length. The strip was applied to the bottom of the stockinged feet. The shoes were placed on the feet and secured to the adhesive film with hand pressure. The shoes remained secure for 5 hours at which time the adult removed them. The strip of adhesive was peeled off the sock and disposed of.

In a third example, the invention could be used to secure a barrette in the very thin and fine hair of a toddler. In this case, a small oval sticker of gentle adhesive could be pressed into the inside of the top clasp of a plastic hair barrette. The barrette could then be slid into the child's hair and closed. The adhesive would serve to secure the barrette and prevent it from sliding out, at which time it would no longer secure the hair and may become lost. Because the adhesive film used in this example was of relatively low tackiness, the barrette and adhesive film could be easily removed from the hair without trauma or pulling. In this example, the film may be used multiple times before it is disposed of.

While multiple embodiments and examples are disclosed, still other embodiments may become apparent to those skilled in the art from a review of the specification. As should be realized from the description herein, the invention is capable of modifications in various aspects, all without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Accordingly, the description, including the examples, are to be regarding as illustrative in nature and not restrictive. 

1. A method for directly adhering an accessory to a child, comprising: attaching an adhesive article to a child and attaching the same adhesive article to an accessory chosen from footwear and hair accessories, wherein the accessory is thereby releasably attached to the child.
 2. A method according to claim 1, wherein attaching an adhesive article to a child comprises attaching an adhesive article to a child's skin or hair or socks, wherein the accessory is thereby releasably attached to the child's skin or hair or socks.
 3. A method according to claim 2, wherein the adhesive article is realesably attached to the child's skin.
 4. A method according to claim 2, wherein adhesive article comprises a substrate having a first adhesive surface and a second adhesive surface and the first adhesive surface is attached to the child's skin or scalp or hair and the second adhesive surface is attached to the accessory.
 5. A method according to claim 1, wherein the accessory is chosen from socks, shoes, slippers, sandals, moccasins, barrettes, clips, bows and headbands.
 6. A method according to claim 2, wherein the adhesive article is a medical grade adhesive tape or a substrate coated on a first side and a second side with medical grade adhesive film.
 7. A method according to claim 2, wherein the medical grade tape or medical grade adhesive film is hypoallergenic and latex-free.
 8. A method according to claim 1, wherein the adhesive article is a decorative adhesive article.
 9. A method according to claim 6, wherein the decorative adhesive article has a desired shape, desired graphic or combinations thereof.
 10. A method according to claim 6, wherein the adhesive article is the form of stickers decorated with graphics chosen from toys, animals, modes of transportation, sports, and television, movie, comic, cartoon, and book characters.
 11. A method according to claim 6, wherein the adhesive article is in the form of stickers having a shape chosen from toys, animals, modes of transportation, sports, and television, movie, comic, cartoon and book characters.
 12. A method according to claim 2, wherein the adhesive article is dispensed as a roll of tape, roll of stickers, card containing multiple stickers, or individual sticker units.
 13. A method according to claim 1, wherein the adhesive article has the shape of an animal or portion thereof.
 14. A product, comprising: a decorative adhesive article adapted for use in releasably securing accessories chosen from footwear and hair accessories to a child's skin, comprising a substrate having a first adhesive surface and a second adhesive surface, wherein the first adhesive surface and second adhesive surface may have a tackiness that is the same or different, and wherein the decorative adhesive article has a desired shape, a desired graphic or combinations thereof.
 15. A product according to claim 14, wherein the first adhesive surface and second adhesive surface have the same tackiness, and bind preferentially to the accessory versus the child's skin. 